
四、閱讀測驗【請在下列各題中選出最適當的答案】
People who speak more than one language and who develop dementia tend to do so up to five years later than
those who are monolingual, according to a study.
Scientists examined almost 650 dementia patients and assessed when each one had been diagnosed with the
condition. They found people who spoke two or more languages experienced a later onset of Alzheimer’s disease,
vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia. The bilingual advantage extended to illiterate people. The scientists
said it confirmed the observed effect was not caused by differences in formal education. The study was conducted
by Edinburgh University and Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad in India.
It is the largest study so far to gauge the impact of bilingualism on the onset of dementia, independent of a
person’s education, gender, occupation and whether they live in a city or in the country, all of which have been
examined as potential factors influencing the onset of dementia.
The team of researchers said further studies were needed to determine the mechanism which causes the delay in
the onset of dementia. The researchers suggested bilingual switching between different sounds, words, concepts,
grammatical structures and social norms constituted a form of natural brain training, which was likely to be more
effective than any artificial brain training program.
However, studies of bilingualism are complicated in that bilingual populations are often ethnically and
culturally different from monolingual societies. In places like Hyderabad, bilingualism is part of everyday life,
knowledge of several languages is the norm and monolingualism is an exception.
Thomas Bak, of Edinburgh University’s school of philosophy, psychology and language sciences said: “These
findings suggest that bilingualism might have a stronger influence on dementia than any currently available drugs.
This makes the study of the relationship between bilingualism and cognition one of our highest priorities.”
【4】21. What is the passage mainly about?
The effect of taking medicines prescribed by linguists to avoid illiteracy.
The nomination of Professor Thomas Bak to the next Nobel prize in medicine.
The need of hiring language therapists to help people recover from aging.
The relationship between speaking more than one language and developing dementia.
【1】22. What does to do so in the first paragraph refer to?
To develop dementia.
To speak more than one language.
To do what is expected by monolinguals.
To become a person that can speak more than one language.
【2】23. Why are illiterate people mentioned in the passage?
They are still able to speak and listen to more than one language.
They serve as the strong evidence to support the research findings.
They represent a different social political group.
They show particular abilities to protect themselves from dementia.
【3】24. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word gauge in the third paragraph?
Continue.
Discover.
Measure.
Research.
【3】25. According to the passage, what is dementia?
A part of our human body that is expected to age.
A person who has difficulty in learning his or her own language.
A disease that may cause people to lose cognitive abilities.
A medicine that may help people recover from language loss.
貳、非選擇題【二大題,每題 25 分,占 50 分】
第一題:翻譯題(中翻英)
多年來,機器一直在做人們曾經做過的工作,包括一些艱難的工作。在危險環境中的搜索和救援行動通
常被視為將採用高技術機器人的第一個領域。但還有另一個領域,傳統上由人所做的工作可能很快會由機器
取代:餐飲業。最近,在東京的一個食品機械和技術展中, Suzumo 公司機械展示了製造壽司的機器人。
Suzumo 機械的代表說,世界各地的人現在都吃壽司,但沒有足夠的熟練工人來準備。他說,他的機器可以
幫助任何人做壽司。【25 分】
第二題:翻譯題(英翻中)
The U.S. Federal Reserve has just raised its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point. The Fed is the
central bank of the United States and it can influence the U.S. economy. It wants that economy to grow but not so
fast that inflation gets out of control. That’s when the prices of things go up and the dollar buys less. Americans’
wages have not increased much in recent years. The U.S. employment or jobless rate was at 4.6 percent last month.
That’s about where it was before the Great Recession hit in 2007. The government says 180,000 jobs have been
created each month this year on average, though that’s less than the two previous years. The gross domestic product
increased in the third quarter of the year and inflation rose 1.6 percent in October. One way the Fed can try to slow
down the rise of inflation is by increasing its key interest rate, which it just did. But that affects consumers because
it makes it more expensive for them to borrow money. Mortgage rates on homes will go up. Car loans will be more
expensive. Credit card rates increased. On the flip side, savings accounts could start to pay a little more interests. So,
those are things to look out for in the months.【25 分】